Brooke Allen: If you manage your time terribly, you’ll get more done

The great thing about writing something down is that your subconscious brain will stop obsessing about it and you can relax and go to sleep or the movies or whatever. But the bad thing about to-do lists is that you might feel compelled to do all those things. Luckily, I’m great at making and losing lists. The list helps me get to sleep tonight, and then tomorrow when I cannot find it I only do what I remember to do, which turns out to be the important things.

Also, keep “did” lists. If you track all you’ve already done, the little bit still to do will seem less daunting.